Mathew Corbin is an only child and he spends the majority of his time in his bedroom, watching people go past in the street. He writes everything down along with the times people go out, when they return, and how often they water their pot plants.

Life is not easy for Mathew. He believes that he is responsible for a tragedy in his past and this colours everything he does, and doesn’t do. Life is prescriptive, threatening and painful. He suffers from a form of obsessive compulsive disorder.When a neighbour’s small grandson goes missing Mathew decides that he has to do something, even if it can’t be very much, since going outside isn’t really on the cards.

There are obvious correlations between this and Mark Haddon’s book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, though this is much more suited for younger readers.

Ultimately this is a positive book, dealing with a severe mental disorder and that worst nightmare of a missing child…